David Young's Edinburgh dances, 1740

Subject: RE: David Young's Edinburgh dances, 1740
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 11:10 AM

Thanks, Jack, for making those tunes available. I've already played the first one, and I'm sure my friends will enjoy playing it at our next session.

Soon I will check out the others.

Subject: RE: David Young's Edinburgh dances, 1740
From: Jim McLean
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 10:04 AM

When I was researching the tune Braes o' Balquhither, I read a fairly modern book written by a schoolteacher from Balquhidder. She said that although she printed the town's name on the blackboard, a number of pupils left out the "h". In David Young's Title index he has done exactly the same, i.e. forgotten the "h" but inked it in as a small letter later!

Subject: RE: David Young's Edinburgh dances, 1740
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 08:46 AM

In addition: if anybody who knows 18th century dance manages to put those instructions into modern form and can test them out, I'd like to have the results so I can add them to the site. (I guess callers of period dance don't generally use the instructions in their original form; it's not something I've ever been involved in).

Ideally, links to YouTube videos.

Subject: David Young's Edinburgh dances, 1740
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Sep 09 - 08:08 AM

I have just uploaded my transcription of David Young's collection of dances from Edinburgh in 1740. This includes full dance instructions (in 18th century language) and I've tried to indicate his amazing calligraphy in ASCII; this is the most beautiful of his three tune collections.

http://www.campin.me.uk

It only just occurred to me that this collection has a different significance than I (or anybody else) had realized. 1740 was a year of famine, with bread riots that came close to insurrection in Edinburgh. And this manuscript documents exactly what the Edinburgh ruling class was doing to entertain themselves while the poor went hungry.